"Believing that you will rejoice at the glorious success that our Lord has granted me in my voyage, I write this to tell you how in thirty-three days I reached the Indies with the first fleet which the most illustrious King and Queen, our Sovereigns, gave me, where I discovered a great many thickly-populated islands. Without meeting resistance, I have taken possession of them all for their Highnesses... when I reached [Cuba], I followed its coast to the westward, and found it so large that I thought it must be the mainland--the province of China, but I found neither towns nor villages on the seacoast, save for a few hamlets."
--Christopher Columbus, Letters from the First Voyage, edited 1847
The Age of Exploration was a period of time where Europeans, who had stayed in Europe for nearly 1000 years, started to travel around the rest of the world. This started with Portugal and Spain, but the Dutch Republic, England and France began to expand soon after. Europeans had been wanting to travel to Asia for a long time. Christopher Columbus became especially fascinated with the East. Merchants and other explorers also had hopes to trade with these other countires. In 1420, ships from Portugal began traveling along the coast of western Africa, where they discovered gold. In 1488, Batholomeu Dias went down to the southern tip of Africa (The Cape of Good Hope), and soon after, Vasco de Gama went all the way around it and discovered India. In 1492, Christopher Columbus thought he could explore Asia, too, but he thought he could do it by going West instead of around southern Africa. By doing this, he actually discovered Cuba, Hispaniola, Honduras, and the major islands of the Caribbean. The Treaty of Tordesillas, which was signed in 1494, divided the new land between Spain and Portugal. After Columbus's discovery, other explorers sailed to the Americas as well. John Cabot, sent from England, discovered the New England cast of the Americas. Pedro Cabral from Portugal explored South America in 1500. Amerigo Vespucci from Florence went on many voyages to America. This land was called the New World by the Europeans, however, this land was not new considering there were already millions of people living there when the Europeans arrived. The western part of Latin America were under Spanish control within 30 years, and Portugal had taken control of Brazil.
Explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
In Africa, slavery had been practiced for a long time. Slaves were used mostly as domestic servants in Southwest Asia. It had also been practiced in some European countries. Slaves eventually began being shipped to Brazil to work at plantations that grew sugarcane. Shortly after, there was a drastic growth in slave trade. This started triangular trade, which connected Europe, Africa and Asia, and the Americas by trade. Europeans traded goods such as guns and cloth with Africa for slaves, which were shipped and sold to the Americas. During the sixteenth century, around 275,000 slaves were exported from Africa. The journey slaves took from Africa to the Americas eventually was called the Middle Passage, and many slaves died on this journey. The slave trade led to population decreases in many areas, and also increased warfare in Africa. The slave trade, among other things, also caused Islam to spread in Africa.
A map showing "triangular trade".
Southeastern Asians had their own culture; things like ethicity, language, and other cultural characteristics were formed there. The Thai gained control over the Chao Phraya River Valley, until eventually they lost it to there Burmese. The Thai then moved their capital south to Bangkok. The Vietnamese set out to take control of the south, where the eventually gained the Mekong delta. Muslim merchants gradually moved to the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian Archipelago. In the fifteenth century, Islam made a major impact that rose to the sultanate at Melaka. Melaka, which was a major source of spices, had soon become the leading power in the region. Melaka began a spice trade with the Europeans, especially the English and Dutch. A civil war in Vietnam divided the country temporarily. At this time, trade between Europe and southeast Asia was limited. Between 1500 and 1800, religious beliefs changed in Southeast Asia. Islam and Christianity attracted converts, and Buddhism was growing. Political systems in Southeast Asia was also diverse, including four monarchies; Buddhist and Javanese kings, Islamic sultans, and Vietnamese emperors.
5 Most Important People of the Age of Exploration 1. Christopher Columbus: Explorer sent from Spain that discovered the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola. Queen Isabella financed his travels and he reached the Americas in October of 1492. 2. Ferdinand Magellan: Explorer sent from Spain that sailed around the world. Starting in 1519, he traveled to South America, the Spice Islands, and the Philippines and is remembered as the first person to sail all around the world. 3. Vasco da Gama: Explorer sent from Portugal that discovered India. He did this by cutting through the Cape of Good Hope and sailing across the Indian Ocean. 4. Amerigo Vespucci: Explorer sent from Portugal and Spain that discovered the South American coast. He went on several voyages, and the word America comes from his name Amerigo. 5. Francisco Pizarro: Explorer sent from Spain that discovered Peru. He took control of the Incan Empire in the Peruvian Andes while there.
Christopher Columbus
5 Key Terms 1. Conquistador: a conqueror, especially one of the Spanish conquerors that discovered Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. 2. Colony: a settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade between the countries and direct government control. 3. Mercantilism:The economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism. 4. Plantation:An agricultural estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco are cultivated by resident labor for commercial purposes. 5. Bureaucracy:A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Map of the routes during the Age of Exploration
Timeline of Events during the Age of Exploration 1488: Bartholomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope. 1492: Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas. 1494: The Treaty of Tordesillas divides the Americas. 1500: Pedro Cabral lands in South America. 1550: Spanish gain control of northern Mexico. 1518: A Spanish ship carries the first boat-load of African slaves to the Americas. 1591: Moroccan forces defeat the Songhai army. 1511: Portuguese seize Melaka. 1600: Dutch enter spice trade. 1619: Dutch establish a fort at Batavia.
The line that split land between Portugal as stated by the Treaty of Tordesillas
Age of Exploration
1500 - 1800"Believing that you will rejoice at the glorious success that our Lord has granted me in my voyage, I write this to tell you how in thirty-three days I reached the Indies with the first fleet which the most illustrious King and Queen, our Sovereigns, gave me, where I discovered a great many thickly-populated islands. Without meeting resistance, I have taken possession of them all for their Highnesses... when I reached [Cuba], I followed its coast to the westward, and found it so large that I thought it must be the mainland--the province of China, but I found neither towns nor villages on the seacoast, save for a few hamlets."
--Christopher Columbus, Letters from the First Voyage, edited 1847
The Age of Exploration was a period of time where Europeans, who had stayed in Europe for nearly 1000 years, started to travel around the rest of the world. This started with Portugal and Spain, but the Dutch Republic, England and France began to expand soon after. Europeans had been wanting to travel to Asia for a long time. Christopher Columbus became especially fascinated with the East. Merchants and other explorers also had hopes to trade with these other countires. In 1420, ships from Portugal began traveling along the coast of western Africa, where they discovered gold. In 1488, Batholomeu Dias went down to the southern tip of Africa (The Cape of Good Hope), and soon after, Vasco de Gama went all the way around it and discovered India. In 1492, Christopher Columbus thought he could explore Asia, too, but he thought he could do it by going West instead of around southern Africa. By doing this, he actually discovered Cuba, Hispaniola, Honduras, and the major islands of the Caribbean. The Treaty of Tordesillas, which was signed in 1494, divided the new land between Spain and Portugal. After Columbus's discovery, other explorers sailed to the Americas as well. John Cabot, sent from England, discovered the New England cast of the Americas. Pedro Cabral from Portugal explored South America in 1500. Amerigo Vespucci from Florence went on many voyages to America. This land was called the New World by the Europeans, however, this land was not new considering there were already millions of people living there when the Europeans arrived. The western part of Latin America were under Spanish control within 30 years, and Portugal had taken control of Brazil.
In Africa, slavery had been practiced for a long time. Slaves were used mostly as domestic servants in Southwest Asia. It had also been practiced in some European countries. Slaves eventually began being shipped to Brazil to work at plantations that grew sugarcane. Shortly after, there was a drastic growth in slave trade. This started triangular trade, which connected Europe, Africa and Asia, and the Americas by trade. Europeans traded goods such as guns and cloth with Africa for slaves, which were shipped and sold to the Americas. During the sixteenth century, around 275,000 slaves were exported from Africa. The journey slaves took from Africa to the Americas eventually was called the Middle Passage, and many slaves died on this journey. The slave trade led to population decreases in many areas, and also increased warfare in Africa. The slave trade, among other things, also caused Islam to spread in Africa.
Southeastern Asians had their own culture; things like ethicity, language, and other cultural characteristics were formed there. The Thai gained control over the Chao Phraya River Valley, until eventually they lost it to there Burmese. The Thai then moved their capital south to Bangkok. The Vietnamese set out to take control of the south, where the eventually gained the Mekong delta. Muslim merchants gradually moved to the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian Archipelago. In the fifteenth century, Islam made a major impact that rose to the sultanate at Melaka. Melaka, which was a major source of spices, had soon become the leading power in the region. Melaka began a spice trade with the Europeans, especially the English and Dutch. A civil war in Vietnam divided the country temporarily. At this time, trade between Europe and southeast Asia was limited. Between 1500 and 1800, religious beliefs changed in Southeast Asia. Islam and Christianity attracted converts, and Buddhism was growing. Political systems in Southeast Asia was also diverse, including four monarchies; Buddhist and Javanese kings, Islamic sultans, and Vietnamese emperors.
5 Most Important People of the Age of Exploration
1. Christopher Columbus: Explorer sent from Spain that discovered the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola. Queen Isabella financed his travels and he reached the Americas in October of 1492.
2. Ferdinand Magellan: Explorer sent from Spain that sailed around the world. Starting in 1519, he traveled to South America, the Spice Islands, and the Philippines and is remembered as the first person to sail all around the world.
3. Vasco da Gama: Explorer sent from Portugal that discovered India. He did this by cutting through the Cape of Good Hope and sailing across the Indian Ocean.
4. Amerigo Vespucci: Explorer sent from Portugal and Spain that discovered the South American coast. He went on several voyages, and the word America comes from his name Amerigo.
5. Francisco Pizarro: Explorer sent from Spain that discovered Peru. He took control of the Incan Empire in the Peruvian Andes while there.
5 Key Terms
1. Conquistador: a conqueror, especially one of the Spanish conquerors that discovered Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century.
2. Colony: a settlement of people living in a new territory, linked with the parent country by trade between the countries and direct government control.
3. Mercantilism: The economic theory that trade generates wealth and is stimulated by the accumulation of profitable balances, which a government should encourage by means of protectionism.
4. Plantation: An agricultural estate on which crops such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco are cultivated by resident labor for commercial purposes.
5. Bureaucracy: A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives.
Timeline of Events during the Age of Exploration
1488: Bartholomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope.
1492: Christopher Columbus reaches the Americas.
1494: The Treaty of Tordesillas divides the Americas.
1500: Pedro Cabral lands in South America.
1550: Spanish gain control of northern Mexico.
1518: A Spanish ship carries the first boat-load of African slaves to the Americas.
1591: Moroccan forces defeat the Songhai army.
1511: Portuguese seize Melaka.
1600: Dutch enter spice trade.
1619: Dutch establish a fort at Batavia.
To Learn More...
The Age of Exploration
European Explorers
The Treaty of Tordesillas
Slave Trade
Christopher Columbus